


Be the Ocean, Where I Unravel

by neolith



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Destroy Ending, Drabble, F/M, Gen, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 21:44:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6346519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neolith/pseuds/neolith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What is between the moment Shepard chooses the Destroy ending and we see him gasp for air. Inspired by <a href="https://youtu.be/vZYbEL06lEU">Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers</a>.</p>
<p>Written in a way that allows the reader to insert their love interest choice for their m!shep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be the Ocean, Where I Unravel

**Author's Note:**

> Took a brief break from writing WWW/iTLoM to get this thing out of my system. I've just obsessed over this idea for a few months now!

The last thing that Shepard remembered as anything even remotely real was the ultimate blast upon shooting the red-lit structure, initiating the destruction of the Reapers and all synthetic life. He remembered it well, from the crushing weight of the choice, to the heavy, painful walk up the ramp and lastly the lashing heat of the force unleashing upon all the galaxy.

Now he was someplace else, somewhere both strange and familiar. Time and gravity were both off, sluggish and uneven, no details clear, lost in a colorless blur. There was a searing sensation, but it was distant, as though his senses were removed from him and all he got was an echo. Looking around, he remembered this place.

Last time he'd chased a mirage. This time he was the one chased, through hell and high water. There was a shadow at his heels that he couldn't quite see or shake, but he strongly feared. His every instinct told him not to get caught, so he ran and ran, along a crooked river that filled with something melting beneath his feet. He slipped as the ground shifted and there was a pressure on his chest, making it hard to breathe. It remained for a few paces, making him cough and spit up something wet, but then what felt like hours later it leveled out.

The shadow was crawling ever closer, no matter how hard he ran and he felt his breaths come ever further apart. The little color left in this world was slowly draining, the light fading and fading, allowing the shadow to gain speed. The river still flowed next to him, fed by trickling springs, the water dark and hungry. Thunder rolled over head at regular intervals, the rumbles coming in pairs, but growing more and more distant. Shepard chased it towards the sea, where it echoed and was nearly lost.

Brushwood changed to sand that swallowed rather than ensnared his feet. Instead of stumbling he dragged himself forward, getting caught in every step as he reached for the waves that rose and fell in time with the fading thunder. He felt the shadow licking at his back, cold and embracing, soothing while freezing and Shepard almost let it take him.

It whispered to him, promises of ease, of no more and you have earned the rest. It felt like a friend resting a hand on his shoulder, as much as a clinging ex-lover that refused to let go. But he had somewhere to go, someone else now, waiting. The sea beckoned, promising hardship, but not without reward. The shadow pleaded, begged and caressed his face. It kissed his lips, trying to suck the life out of him, but the lips felt wrong and he struggled.

The waves came washing in, lapping at his feet and digging him deeper into the sand. He pushed the shadow away while trying to free his feet, longing for the ocean to take him away, to take him home.

_Not yet_ , he thought. _Not yet_. The thunder grew volume and traction, ripping through him without mercy and what an amazing thing it was to feel. In the distance someone was calling, from across the water, but the words were swallowed by the oncoming storm. Shepard remembered to breathe and the sky expanded, suddenly fitting the whole universe. He dropped into the ocean and let the waves carry him.

"Shepard? Shepard!" someone called, and: "He's alive!"


End file.
